‘Baffling & embarrassing’: Fawning Theresa May bowing to prince sparks mockery online

A tweeted picture of Prime Minister Theresa May curtseying to the duke of Cambridge was labelled “embarrassing” by the American journalist Glenn Greenwald, bringing forth a debate on the absurdity of the monarchy.

What more could you want for your birthday? Rather than kicking back with a beer and the World Cup, Prince William, who turns 36 today, is spending it on royal duties with none other than Prime Minister Theresa May.

Meeting outside a rehabilitation center for injured service personnel, the prime minister, ranked the eighth most powerful by Forbes magazine, dipped low in her heels to curtsey to the future monarch as if she was a feudal serf.

The customary bow has been ridiculed online, with The Intercept’s Greenwald calling it “baffling” and “embarrassing” that “adult human beings continue to indulge all this with a straight face.”

Coming to the monarchy’s defense, one Twitter user called Greenwald “jealous,” pointing out that the royal family earn us a “gabillion quid net each year,” and that “countries with Monarchies are oddly more democratic with those without.”

Unconvinced, Greenwald replied sarcastically that he had “always wanted so badly to have monarchs that I could bow to,” calling the UK “one of the most authoritarian in the West.”

Others called it “normal” to show some “basic chivalry,” respect we reserve for the elderly and children.

However, the consensus seems to think Brits have moved on from such monarchist hangups. Questioning if the royal family is earning its keep, one asked what was the need for all the “bowing & scraping,” when the taxpayers are left paying for royal weddings and fixing the roof at Buckingham Palace.

Like this story? Share it with a friend!